The present invention relates to an aiming device, or sight, for a firearm. Specifically, it describes a simple, effective, passively illuminated, non-telescopic sight requiring no power source.
Proper sights on firearms are essential for accurate shooting. The firearm, such as a rifle or shotgun, can be inherently very accurate due to its design and manufacture. Yet if the sights on the firearm are not effective, the firearm will not accurately hit targets. It is important to bear in mind, of course, that some sights are easier to use by some shooters than others.
Typically, firearms will have both a front sight, located on the firearm barrel near the muzzle of the barrel, and a rear sight, located near the rear or breech end of the barrel or on the receiver or breech portion of the firearm. These sights are commonly referred to as iron sights. In order to shoot the firearm accurately, the shooter must line up the front sight and the rear sight, and then line the sights up with the intended target. This takes a large amount of practice to do properly and even then this sighting process takes time and hence does not lend itself well to shooting at moving targets or to shooting rapidly. Traditional iron sights often use a post as a front sight. One problem associated with this arrangement is the post type front sight covers the target, obscures the field of view, and confuses point of aim.
Some of the problems associated with iron sights were addressed by telescopic sights that have reticles and optics, which usually provide magnification, located within a tube that is mounted above the breech end of the firearm that could be the rear portion of the barrel or the firearm receiver. With a telescopic sight it is not necessary to align two sights on the firearm. Instead, it is only necessary to place the reticle on the target. However, the telescopic sight requires a mount for mounting the telescope to the firearm and a telescope mount creates other problems.
The telescope and its mount obviously add weight to the firearm, but more importantly it raises the line of sight higher and farther away from the firearm barrel bore axis than with standard iron sights. This causes several problems. First, with rifles and shotguns, the higher line of sight means that the shooter's head must be higher on the stock of the firearm to be able to properly sight through the telescope. This means that the stock must have a cheek rest that is properly positioned to raise the shooter's head enough to properly sight through the telescope. In many cases this will mean that the standard or factory stock will have to be replaced and the shooter incurs the associated expense and inconvenience. In addition, for both rifles and shotguns and other such small arms firearms, the higher line of sight above the bore axis means that it is more difficult to adjust the sight for shooting at a variety of ranges with one sight setting or even with minor adjustments. Also, the higher line of sight means that movement or rotation of the rifle, shotgun, or other small firearm will result in greater inaccuracy than would be the case if iron sights were used.
Another problem with a telescopic sight is that it may strike the eye of the shooter when the firearm recoils if it is not properly mounted for that shooter. While use of a telescopic sight magnifies the view of the target, it also reduces the shooter's peripheral vision.
Another approach to sights for rifles includes what are often referred to as “red dot sights,” which use a battery-powered LED, or other means, to project a red dot or reticle onto an angled piece of glass, plastic or similar transparent reflective material. The dot or reticle replaces the traditional iron sights and indicates the target, and facilitates aiming the gun. As with any battery-operated device, these types of sights are susceptible to loss of power, whether due to expiration of battery life, damage, or conventional wear-and-tear. Unpowered, these types of sights are of limited or no use.
While these approaches have been beneficial to sighting and sights for firearms, there continues to be a need for simple, quick, effective sights.